BL howitzer railgun Profile and Models

"Boche Buster" and its crew pose for a photogaph at Ashbury station during World War 2. ©Public Domain

The BL 18-inch railway howitzer was developed during World War 1, but did not actually enter service until 1920. Five guns and two complete pieces of equipment on railway wagons were produced but they were never fired in action, being stored after WW1. In 1940, "Boche Buster" was mounted on a railway chassis and was deployed on the Elham to Canterbury line as a coastal defence system. However, the guns range was insufficent to cross the channel and it therefore never fired in action.
Type of Vehicle	Railgun
Builder	Elswick Ordnance Company
Build Date	1906 - 1907
Total Built	5
Operators	Railway Operating Division (WW1) War Department (WW2)
Main Duties	Coastal Defence
Effective Firing Range	22,300yd
In Service Until	1945